India's opposition to OBOR regrettable, not problem: Chinese Media

After India skipped the 'One Belt, One Road' (OBOR) forum in Beijing, the Chinese media said that New Delhi's move will not deter other neighbouring countries from joining the initiative.

"It is regrettable but not a problem that India still maintains its strong opposition to the B&R, even though China has repeatedly said its position on the Kashmir dispute would not change because of the CPEC (China Pakistan Economic Project)," the state run Global Times said in an article.

India has been opposed to the inclusion of the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) under the OBOR initiative as a part of the project passes through disputed Kashmir region.

The article advocated that the OBOR is a "grand economic cooperation and development plan open to everyone, and is aimed at improving infrastructure in countries along the B&R route, thus benefiting the local people."

The article added that India also cited the potential debt burden as one of its other concerns, saying, "Connectivity initiatives must follow the principles of financial responsibility to avoid projects that would create an unsustainable debt burden for communities."

Stating the deals inked by Pakistan with China and Nepal officially signing the initiative to join the OBOR, the article said that "given the active responses from countries along the route, there is no way for India to impede its neighbouring countries from cooperating with China in infrastructure development.